Resurgence
by baltimorejones
Summary: Dani Matthews is the daughter of Erudite's faction representative, Jeanine Matthews. Her mother has high expectations for her but Dani has a secret. One secret that could end up killing her, she's Divergent. Dani transfers to Dauntless to protect herself but she finds trouble already there when she runs into an old acquaintance, another Divergent, and someone who holds a grudge.
1. Into the Unknown

A/N: Firstly I would just like to point out that this is an Eric/OC Fan Fiction that is slightly AU in terms of adding another character and potentially having a different ending for actual character in the book. This will also be an appropriate mixture of the books and the movies because honestly I didn't like how the books were written. Not to say that the storyline and the world that Veronica Roth created wasn't amazing, I'm just not a fan of the writing.

Secondly, yes I know Eric isn't everyone's favorite Character and hes done some pretty messed up shit. But to me he has so much potential to do good. Its the same way I felt about Draco in Harry Potter and Zuko in Avatar the Last Airbender. They were the type of characters that not only needed redemption but kind of deserved to have that option (Luckily Zuko made the right choice).

Thirdly, this takes place a year before Tris transfers to Dauntless and I apologize now if I mess a few things up I'm literally getting all my information off the wiki because I'm letting my friend borrow my book. This is also not edited.

Lastly, Enjoy and Comment!

Disclaimer: I do not own the Divergent Trilogy and any of its characters they are owned by Veronica Roth.

* * *

It was raining on the day of the Choosing Ceremony, when I transferred from Erudite. Droplets of water pelted against the window as I gazed back at the building I grew up in. Knowing I would never return should have made me lament but I wasn't, I felt indifferent. All the apartments for Erudite were the same there was nothing unique about the sleek furniture or the blue color scheme. Nothing made it feel like home to me, and that was one of the first signs in knowing I didn't belong.

My mother hadn't noticed my impartial expression as she talked adamantly to whoever was on the other line. Normally I would be listening just as intently but my mind was elsewhere. Her assistant Ester was sitting across from us waiting patiently for my mother's conversation to end so she could discuss the rest of today's schedule after the Choosing Ceremony. Her eyes flicked towards me every so often, they were cold and calculating, she must have noticed my disinterest in my mother's conversation. Ester had caught me snooping on numerous occasions into my mothers work due to my natural curiosity. She could tell whenever I was lying about it, Ester was a born Candor after all and her suspicions were never wrong it was probably one of the reasons why my mother hired her.

My eyes never left Esters as I turned my ear towards my mother to listen in.

"Continue the tests, the serum needs to be one hundred percent accurate towards those with conclusive results." There was a slight pause. "Take as much time as you need Devin." She hung up the phone.

The Simulation Serum was the drug used to conduct the aptitude tests. My mother had been the one to design the serum. It created illusions that determine ones predominant characteristics towards each faction but why were they still administrating tests? _Were they perfecting the serum?_ I wondered.

"Ester, fill me in on today's schedule." My mother ordered and obediently her Assistant rambled on about the events taking place after the Choosing Ceremony. She scrolled through the tablet with the thick rimmed glasses, which she probably didn't need, they were slipping off the bridge of her nose.

"Your last meeting of the day is at five with the faction leaders from Dauntless." Just as she finished my head popped up at that last one. It wasn't everyday that my mother would personally meet with those from Dauntless. She usually let someone lower on the totem pole deal with Dauntless, her sights were usually on Abnegation.

"Why are you meeting with Dauntless?" I couldn't stop myself from asking. My mother's blue eyes slid from the tablet in front of her and mirrored mine.

"Erudite have always been close allies with Dauntless. We need their protection just as they need our technological advancements. It's what keeps our society moving." She spoke smoothly and it took every ounce of will I had not to roll my eyes at her cheap answer.

I felt like a child again being told the importance of the five factions and each role we play in to ensure our future.

"You should use that line the next time you speak for Erudite at the Choosing Ceremony. It will make those with lesser intellect feel just as important." I spoke sharply and my mother just clicked her tongue with disapproval.

"Sarcasm is unbecoming of you Danielle." She scolded.

"Does printing out false accusations about another faction with no underlying facts fall under the same category?" I push and my mother turns to me unexpectedly with a look of bewilderment on her face.

It wasn't always often when I challenged my mother like that, especially in front of other people. When I did, it always caught her by surprise and I sometimes wondered if she knew something was off. Erudite's were expected to question people's actions for a better understanding but to say it to someone like Jeanine Matthews was indecent.

"I wouldn't expect a sixteen year old who hasn't even gone through her initiation to understand." My mother bit back. "But enough of this, we should be arriving at the Hub soon."

She turned back towards her tablet and continued working as if our conversation hadn't even occurred. That's how it always was with her, you were either worthy of her time or not at all.  
I returned to my window as I watched our descent towards the Hub and the rain continued to fall.

Just as my mother predicted we arrived to our destination. Ester scrambled for an umbrella while my mother waited impatiently for the driver to open the door for her. I pushed open my door, with the rain barely sprinkling into the car, while opening an umbrella to guard myself from the drizzling rain. My heels clicked against the pavement as I stepped out. I stared up at the building that stood with over one hundred floors, one of the last remanding buildings still in good condition. It's where the Choosing Ceremony takes place every year and where I will be transferred from Erudite to Dauntless.

Thunder shook the sky and Dauntless came running from where the train had just stopped. Wearing combat boots and individualized with tattoos and piercings they ran through the rain with absolutely no care. I stared in envy as they jumped and laughed with one another, high off adrenaline. Ester muttered something along the lines of animals under her breath while my mother ushered us into the building.

People stared as Jeanine Matthews walked by, head straight forward, ignoring everyone she passed without a second glance. Her face set with determination as she plowed through the crowd of people that parted at her entrance. Ester struggled to keep up with her long strides but followed after my mother like a puppy. I stayed behind with the other Erudite's as we waited for parents and other guests to take their seats.

I pulled at the hem of shirt and smoothed out my blonde hair that was held tightly in a ponytail, fidgeting endlessly as we waited impatiently for them to let the rest of us inside.

"Nervous?" Someone spoke from behind me.

"Should I be?" I retorted as I turned to look at the person speaking. My gaze landed on Jackson, a fellow Erudite, and my biggest rival during school. His father worked in a facility that researched the positive and negative side effects of the serum. If I was to stay in Erudite he would be my biggest competition during the initiation.

"That depends on whether you stay in Erudite or not." Jackson shrugged his lean shoulders.

"But considering who your mother is I wouldn't be surprised if you pull top rank like she did." He pointed out and I crossed my arms defensively.

"What makes you think I'm choosing Erudite?" I questioned.

"Just a safe assumption." Jackson explained reassuringly and we stared at each other in a thoughtful silence.

"Candor?" I inquired and he raised his eyebrows at me in surprise.

"Good observation," he complimented. "Are you sure you're not choosing Erudite?" I smiled inquisitively up at him.

"You'll have to wait and see." The doors to the main hall opened wide and the sixteen year olds from every faction shuffled inside to see what future they belong to.

We separated into five sections, on the far right Abnegation, then Amity, Erudite, Candor, and lastly Dauntless. The soon to be initiates sat farther back while the families of each teenager sat towards the middle.

I spotted my mother right up front as I took my seat next to Jackson. She was speaking Johanna Reye, one of the leaders from Amity. She glanced over in my direction and pointed me out to Johanna. I swallowed the lump in the back of my throat and leaned back in my chair to hide myself from their piercing gaze.

"Afraid you're going to disappoint?" Jackson asked with a smug smirk on his face.

"I was about to ask you the same thing." I replied, my eyes flicked towards where his father stood, they looked alike, tall with a scrawny profile, both of them wore glasses but after this I'm sure Jackson won't need them anymore.

"He knows."

"Pardon?"

"He knows my results were Candor." Jackson clarified.

"You mean you told him?" I questioned but Jackson just shook his head.

"No, he knew." He chuckled to himself. "He knew before I did. I guess Erudite's have a sense for that sort of thing."

No one knew what my results were.

"You know I'm surprised, I always thought you were going to follow in your mothers footsteps and be Erudite's next faction leader." Jackson remarked and I nodded my head in agreement, stealing a glimpse of my mother before the Ceremony started. She was nowhere to be found.

"I swore you and I were going to battle it out for that number one spot during initiation." I pause. "At least before yesterday happened."

"I suppose that will be a relief for Grace." He nodded toward a red head who kept tossing us nervous looks, silently praying we would transfer factions.

She had always struggled to keep up with Jackson and I during school. While he and I had a friendly competition she took it more seriously than either of us did. It was probably the fact that both our parents beat hers during the initiation.

"I doubt it." I disagreed before continuing. "Some transfer is probably going to get it."

"Look at us," Jackson began. "Worrying about initiation for a faction we will no longer be a part of."

"I'm more worried about everyone's reaction." I muttered, mostly to myself.

"Why?" Jackson asked and a smile slowly formed on his face. "Were your results Abnegation?" I glanced at him sideways before we both started chuckling.

"Over my mother's dead body."

"I certainly hope not." I jumped at the sound of her voice ringing in my ear. That stern authoritative tone that I always obeyed to as a child, she stood over me with her hands behind her back and a neutral expression on her face.

"Yes?" I asked politely, standing up to match her height and smoothing out my skirt in the process. My mask instantly went up in an instant.

"I wanted to remind you that whatever faction you choose should reflect on your aptitude results and not on where you think you belong." She eyed me warily.

"I know how this works mother." I reply dully.

"I'm just warning you." My mother countered. "You're too useful to end up factionless." I blinked in surprise as she held my elbow affectionately before turning around and heading back to her seat. I watched her leave in bewilderment before settling down next to Jackson again.

The Ceremony had begun.

Dauntless was hosting this year and then a man with dreadlocks and several piercings stepped up onto the stage. He introduced himself as Max, I made a mental note to remember his face. He was one of the Dauntless leaders and the first name he called was from Erudite.

"Jackson Andrews."

Jackson stood up confidently and walked down to the five metal bowls each containing a substance that represents each of the factions.

Grey Stone for Abnegation, Earth for Amity, Water for Erudite, Glass for Candor, and Lit Coals for Dauntless. Max handed him the knife, he slit his palm and released his own blood. Candor. I guessed right.

He continued calling names as I waited with baited breath. My heart pounded whenever someone was transferred into Dauntless and they stomped and cheered, the loudest out of any faction. It was a surprise when Melody Green, Amity born, had chosen Dauntless. She was small and lanky, I had trouble seeing how she ended up choosing Dauntless. The shocked gasps that came from Amity were overpowered by the roar from Dauntless. Another Erudite had chosen Dauntless besides myself, Martin Lawrence, I wasn't shocking he chose Dauntless what he lacked intellectually he earned in size. I could see him doing well in that faction.

"Danielle Matthews." They called next and I stood up.

I felt them all staring at my back as I walked down the steps. They watched and wondered what faction Jeanine Matthews daughter was going to choose.

Max handed me the knife and I gazed at my own blue eyes in the reflection. With steady fingers I cut across the palm of my hand. I stared at the water in Erudite and thought about staying in a place I was accustomed to, somewhere I know I'd do well and pass with flying colors. But I knew I wouldn't be safe in Erudite. Not when I was living under the same faction as my mother. Not when she believed I was a threat to the system.

Not when I was Divergent.

I held my hand over the lit coal and watched as it ignited at the drop of my blood. Dauntless cheered wildly as I went to stand by the other transfers. I didn't even look at my mother.

The Ceremony ended and the Dauntless hopped to their feet, the first to leave. Running up the stairs the transfers followed behind them. I struggled to keep up in my skirt and heels but I managed.

We pushed through the doors of the hubs entrance into the pouring rain. Us transfers watched as they spun around and danced without a care and for the first time I actually felt the rain on my skin. I laughed and stared up at the sky soaking in the idea of no longer being Jeanine Matthews perfect daughter, I was me. Pulling the hair tie out of its high pony tail, I let my blonde locks go free.

"C'mon transfers we're leaving." Max barked as he strutted out of the hub.  
We ran, following the Dauntless born through the drizzling rain. They didn't slow down and wait for us to catch up, they were practically racing one another. That's when I spotted it, the train speeding down an open track and we were running towards it.

"Are we supposed to jump on that?" A Candor transfer asked from behind me, Melody answered for all of us with a slight whimper as we watched the Dauntless born hop onto the train with ease.

Martin pushed ahead, breathing heavily with his arms pumping through the air he struggled to pull himself onto the rail. He stumbled back almost running into me but I pushed him forward giving him a boost onto the train. I was next, ignoring the pain in my calves I jumped forward and gripped my hand onto the railing. Hooking my high heeled foot around the corner of the open door, I pushed and landed face first onto the train floor. I breathed a sigh of relief and watched as the other transfers climbed on board from behind me.

"Well done." Someone said sarcastically, I sat up.

"You try jumping onto a train in heels." I groaned as I pulled the blue heels off my feet.

I looked up to see a Dauntless born staring down at me in amusement as I dusted myself off. He wore all black like the rest of them and had tattoos peeking out from underneath his clothing. He was an initiate like myself, but more prepared and certainly more skilled in the area of fighting. He held down his gloved hand.

"I'm Travis," He greeted. "Dauntless born."

"I'm Danielle," I replied. "Former Erudite."

We shook hands.

"I noticed. You're a long way from home Erudite are you should you can handle it here?" Travis asked with an infuriating smirk on his face.

"I wouldn't be here if I thought I couldn't." I snapped back and he held up his hands defensively.

"Alright," He smiled wider. "Are you sure that she can handle it though?" He gestured behind me.

I turned my head and saw that Amity girl, Melody on the floor of the train with her hands wrapped around her knee. That's when I saw what was leaking between her fingers, blood. I looked away, part of me wanted to ignore her heavy whimpering and just let her deal with her own mess. We were initiates now and we had to look out for ourselves, especially being pit up against Dauntless born. Then I thought back to what that Abnegation born said to me after my aptitude test, when my results came back inconclusive. When she told me I was Divergent. _That compassion can go a long way as long as we keep giving it, nothing can take it away_, I remembered.

"Goddamn it." I muttered and stood up from my spot on the train.

I sat down next to her a ripped a strip of fabric off of my own skirt then began tying it around her wounded knee.

"Thank you." She said softly her brown eyes quickly drying up.

"Don't mention it." I responded. "You'll have to go to the infirmary once we get to wherever Dauntless Headquarters is located." I explained quickly and I stood up to stand with the rest of the transfers. Melody followed quietly behind me just as the Dauntless born began jumping onto the roof of a building, landing on their feet perfectly.

"Are these people crazy?" Another Candor asked as he stuck his head out the train to stare at them in disbelief.

"You can stay here if you want." Martin sneered and jumped off the train onto the roof, rolling awkwardly onto his back.

"After you." The same Candor offered me the next jump.

I rolled my eyes, took a step back, and started running towards the open door. I was flying and I was falling, fast. I took a plunge into the dirt and scraped my knees real good against the rocks that lay beneath me. Brushing myself off I watched as the other Transfers followed behind all except one Candor who stayed aboard the train long enough to realize he made a mistake and was now factionless. He jumped, missing the roof by a foot and falling to the streets below. I didn't want to believe it but I heard the sound of his bone breaking once he hit the pavement.

"There's always that one." Max says as he leaned over to look at the damage done to the Candor transfer. He looked back at us and moved towards the giant hole that lay on top of the roof. "Welcome Initiates, I'm Max one of the leaders of Dauntless here to greet you personally before I hand you off to the trainers." He began as he walked close to the edge of the hole. "But first, to get into Dauntless, you have to jump." Max pointed over his shoulder towards the gaping hole that they were forcing us to plunge into. "Who's first?"

No one volunteered even Martin was staying silent this time around. I bit my cheek and stepped forward.

"Ah Ms. Matthews, a pleasure to have you transfer to Dauntless. Your mother must be really proud." He spoke sardonically but I ignored him and climbed up onto the edge. I turned around and faced the other initiates with a small smirk, closed my eyes, and fell into the unknown.


	2. The Chasm

A/N: I'm going to try and update once a week, maybe more. I just finished my finals yesterday so I have a lot of free time.

Please R&R, I'm really unsure of this Chapter. I wasn't even going to have Eric in it at all an somehow that happened. Enjoy!

Unedited.

Disclaimer: I do not own the Divergent Trilogy and any of its characters, they are owned by Veronica Roth.

* * *

There was something remarkable about falling into a pit with no knowledge of what was at the bottom. An hour ago I would have questioned why we had to jump. But an hour ago I wasn't a Dauntless Initiate and my hair wasn't tumbling past my shoulders and I wasn't jumping off of trains barefoot and my skirt wasn't ripped at the front. Now I wasn't even questioning the consequences of jumping off a roof and into a mysterious dark hole.

My back hit net and I bounced several feet into the air before settling in the middle of the black net. Laughing, I looked at my surroundings the room was dark except for the light that was emitting from the hole that I just fell through. The safety netting was being pulled with me along with it. I glanced at a Dauntless man with an outstretched hand, holding the black fabric down to help me out. I grabbed his hand and rolled out from the safety net.

"Where are your shoes?" He asked with a raised eyebrow as he glanced at my bare feet.

"On a train back to Erudite." I grinned sheepishly then hopped onto the floor next to him.

"What's your name?" The man questioned as he sized me up.

"Dani." I spoke quickly, not wanting anyone to know who my mother was.

"First jumper—Dani!" He yelled at the surrounding members of the faction. "Welcome to Dauntless."

Slowly, each initiate fell through as I watched from the sidelines with all the other Dauntless members. There we twenty-three of us over all, twelve Dauntless-born and eleven transfers, five of us didn't make it off the train. Factionless. I studied the clothing of each member as they fell one by one, committing them to memory.

Candor had the most transfers, seven initiates all in white attire. Three girls and four boys, I recognized a few of them but never bothered to remember their names. They were the wild card during initiation, it was hard to read which ones would be successful or not. Ex-Candors were usually good liars.

Erudite's had three transfers, including myself. I knew both of them and they knew me, which just made it more difficult to hide my identity. Martin had the biggest advantage I suspected that he knew he was going to end up in Dauntless at an early age. Defined muscles were bulging through his dress shirt, he obviously had been preparing for this initiation. He would be my greatest challenge here. Zachary Thatcher was another matter, if I were to guess where he'd end up transferring to it wouldn't be Dauntless, it would be Abnegation. The only advantage he would have here was his height he practically towered over everyone in this room. Other than that I didn't think he would last long but it would be longer then the Amity girl.

Melody Green, going by Mel now, and there was no way she'd make it through initiation. She screamed louder than anyone on her way down and was still shaking when she went to stand next to me. On top of that she was extremely small and skinny. I don't know what made her think she could handle Dauntless. I just knew she was going to be bait for the bigger fish around here.

Once all the initiates were on the ground we were led down a narrow hallway by two of the trainers. I walked along side Mel and a Candor girl with a pixie cut kept shooting me curious glances. We stopped, and the female trainer with three piercings in her eyebrow spoke. "This is where we divide, Dauntless-born are with me the transfers go with him." He gestured toward the male trainer, he had no piercings but I spotted tattoos peaking through the collar of his shirt.

They left and we were left nervously in the hands of a man with a permanent bitch face.

"My name is Four, I'll be your instructor for the next few weeks during this— initiation." He introduced himself and the pixie cut girl giggled, for what reason, his name or because she thought he was cute? I wasn't entirely sure but Four wasn't amused.

"Something funny?" He glared and she shook her head. "Good." We continued following him and as we walked he began talking again. "We're going into the Pit." He spoke over his shoulder.

"What's the Pit?" Another Candor asked as we shuffled along the narrow halls.

"You'll see when we get there." He barked and no one spoke after that.

We entered what I assumed was the Pit and it was rightly named. It consisted of a deep pit that was filled with several members of Dauntless. The roof was made of glass and if that wasn't terrifying enough the walkways had no railings to guide you. The only thing to prevent you from falling was the blue lights that hung from various points down the path.

As we were walking by, several Dauntless-born came bursting through the walkway, ignoring us Transfers and almost making me fall off the edge of the path. I see pavement as I dive forward and close my eyes to brace for impact until I feel pressure on my elbow. I'm being pulled back and breathe a sigh of relief as I turn to thank who I was sure was Four, it wasn't.

Grey eyes, cold and menacing that looked far too familiar for my own comfort. He wore microdermals over his right eyebrow and gauges in his ears. He was tall, about a head taller than me and his forearms were covered in tattoos as well as muscle. At first glance I would have assumed he was Dauntless-born but his eyes were calculating and devious. He was from Erudite, I realized right away and any acknowledgement of gratitude had slipped my mind. Who was he? I thought to myself.

"Watch it Transfer." He growled and his grip tightened before he shoved me towards Four. I regained my balance and glared at the brute who was clearly trying to intimidate me. Nothing pissed me off more than that.

"You're the one who nearly knocked me off, you watch it." I bit back, unafraid no matter how daunted I felt towards his size.

His jaw clenched as he sized me up and I suddenly felt very uncomfortable under his gaze but I didn't show my unease. I held my chin up and stared back, refusing to back down. This wasn't one of my greater plans but I wasn't about to give him the satisfaction of showing my own vulnerability. As his eyes traveled down he smirked at my bare feet before turning to Four with an inquisitive look on his face.

"Do continue the tour." He held his hands behind his back and grinned at Four.

Four stared at him for a moment seemingly not pleased to be having him along and something definitely told me they weren't friends. He nodded and we walked through the rest of the way with the big brute following behind. Turning right out of the pit, I could hear rapidly running water echo through the dark cave.

That's when the cave opened up into a ravine, the daylight emphasized the jaggedness of the sharp rocks a long the walls.. We were several stories high and as magnificent as the ravine was it was also terrifying. There was a infirm bridge in the middle of the Chasm that connected the ravine together. We were going to cross it.

I looked over my shoulder at the Brute behind me with uncertainty, he was watching me with great interest. Suspicion rose in my chest as we walked across the rickety bridge. I didn't trust the person behind me and I was right not to.

Four shouted on our way through "The Chasm reminds us that there is a fair line between bravery and idiocy."

Callous hands wrapped around the back of my neck. My throat constricts as I'm being pushed over the edge of the bridge. One hand wrapped around my neck the other gripping the front of my shirt to ensure I don't fall. My hands instantly wrap around the culprits wrist, hanging on for dear life. Fear raging through my bones as I stared up at his malicious grey eyes. Somehow I knew this would happen.

The Brute grins, fully knowing that I was afraid, that was his goal.

Everyone was silent around us and I did not dare look away from him. I've already made it worse for myself, my jaw clenched as I stared back, blue eyes hard with frustration as I struggled to keep my feet on the edge of the bridge.

"You best remember that the Chasm isn't the only thing you should fear." He spoke to all of us but his eyes were on me, a warning. To never challenge him again. "I'm Eric, I'll be training you a long side Four." He grabbed my hand and pulled me towards him. "You all best remember your place."

I didn't say anything, I wasn't about to make the same mistake again. We continued walking on and thankfully no one spoke about it. I think they were too frightened to speak.

Eric. I suddenly remembered him.


	3. Old Habits Die Hard

A/N: Chapter Three is here early and fair warning there is _a lot _of dialogue in this chapter, more than I actually wanted. Mostly character development in this chapter and more detail on the other initiates, not a lot of Eric, sorry.

R&R please

Disclaimer: I do not own the Divergent Trilogy and any of its characters, they are owned by Veronica Roth.

* * *

Dinnertime had always been a quiet and inquisitive affair in my old faction. I'd either study in silence while I ate or go out to eat if I was working on a group project for school. There were no hamburgers and barbecue ribs to choose from. We had brain powered food, fish and whole grains, then we washed it down with a soda. That was the Erudite way and coming into Dauntless was kind of a culture shock. When we entered the dining hall we were greeted with a thunderous roar by Dauntless. Tables were lined up in rows filled with congregating faction members. There were buffets of food that were both deliciously filling and full of protein. The compound seemed to be full of surprises today.

I sat down at one of the tables with a hamburger on my plate, secluded from the rest of the initiates. Most of them sat down the same table staring at all the faction members in both awe and fear. They didn't know what to expect for our initiation, but then again neither did I.

The Amity girl, Mel sat down across from me and quietly inspected her food in disgust. I watched her in amusement as she picked at the slab of steak with her fork.

"Were you a vegetarian in your old Faction?" I asked even though I already knew.

She looked up shyly at me before answering. "Yeah, we all were."

"Word of advice, you'll have to eat a lot of protein if you want any chance to make it through this initiation." I take a sip of water before digging into my hamburger.

"You're one to talk." A Candor girl stated as she sat down next to me, "talking back to not only one of your trainers but a leader of Dauntless. I don't think you earned any points from that guy." She pointed towards Eric who was walking by our table. His hard grey eyes were forward, not even looking in our direction as he passed.

Eric Mavens, former Erudite turned Dauntless, I remembered him. His mother worked for mine and we didn't speak often but I respected him, unlike now. In Erudite I always commended him for his on the feet thinking and that skill alone is what probably led him to Dauntless. It's probably what led him to become such a young leader, among other things. I wasn't sure if he remembered me though, thinking back there was no indication that he recognized me as Jeanine Matthews daughter. I hoped not, that's not something I want people to know me as.

"What can I say?" I began sardonically, "I like a challenge." I shrugged, brushing the insistent teasing off.

"More like a death wish." Another Candor put in as he sat down next to Mel. "For someone who came from Erudite you sure are stupid." He said evenly and I narrowed my eyes at him.

"I guess the stereotype is true about Candor." I replied. "You all have big mouths." He smirked at me with a mouth full of food.

"I'm Kale and that's Casey." He introduced himself after swallowing his food. "You obviously know we're from Candor. What's your name first jumper?" Kale held out his hand for me to shake and I stared at it for a moment.

Reluctantly I took it. "Dani," I say and my eyes peered down the table where the other initiates, Candor's, were sitting. They were staring and as soon as they realized I had caught them gawking they quickly adverted their eyes. It was obvious that they were talking about me.

Casey must have noticed too and quickly tried to reassure me. "Don't mind them, they all just about pissed themselves when that dick head practically threw you off the Chasm."

"They're not exactly subtle." I said calmly although I was seething on the inside.

"Subtlety doesn't exactly come naturally to Candor's." Casey giggled and her green eyes glazed over as if she was lost in a memory about her old faction.

Both of the initiates seemed capable of getting far here. Casey was more aware of her surroundings while Kale had confidence and large hands to defend himself with. They seemed far more trusting then the other Candor's but I didn't trust anyone during this initiation.

"Mind introducing me." I nodded towards the other Candor's "Not literally." I added and they laughed, even the Amity girl who was listening quietly to our conversation let out a light giggle. I wasn't in the mood to commune with the other initiates and they seemed to sense that.

"The one at the end, who desperately needs a haircut, that's Geoff." Casey told us, I quickly glanced over at him as she spoke. Geoff was hunched over his plate shoveling food into his mouth. His hair was longer than average, just barely touching the middle of his forehead. He was built, definitely going to rival Martin, but I'd bet my money on the former Erudite. "Everyone knew he was going to end up in Dauntless. He always used beat up poor Kale in school." Casey teased the young initiate making him blush profusely.

"That was a long time ago." He tried to defend himself.

"Whatever," Casey waved her hand and continued. "That pixie haired girl is Natasha, going by Tasha now." She rolled her eyes, she didn't like her I then realized and I made a mental note of that. "She thinks she's important because her dad's one of the best lawyers in Candor." There was something envious in her tone.

Kale snorted. "You're just mad because her dad surpassed your dad during their initiation." He dared to say and he winced once she kicked him under the table.

Tasha didn't look like anything special she was only a little taller than Mel. But there was that glint in her, the same as Jeanine, devious and not afraid to get her hands dirty. Those were the ones you had to look out for.

"The one she's flirting with is Ace but he's too smart to fall for that sort of thing." Casey continued. "His sister chose Dauntless a few years back but she ended up Factionless." She explained and my eyes swiveled in his direction. Ace's head was turned away from Tasha as she poked and prodded him endlessly. Most people would define him as handsome because of his strong bone structure and bright eyes. He wasn't anything spectacular and I detected he was emotionally compromised after what happened to his sister, here in Dauntless. I knew I would have a chance against him.

"The last two are twins, Jack and Darcy, they're the type of twins that always finish each other's sentences." Kale said in annoyance and I recognized them from faction gatherings. Their parents were in politics which meant I saw them often with Jeanine being Erudite's faction representative and I had a sneaking suspicion they knew who I was as well. Darcy was probably the biggest out of all of us girls, she had the advantage of being tall. Jack was sizable but he wouldn't be able to beat either Martin or Geoff in a fist fight.

"What about those two?" Mel asked and pointed towards Martin and Zachary who were sitting silently next to Four only a few feet away from us.

We all looked at the small Amity girl in surprise at her uncharacteristic curiosity about key information regarding this mysterious yet most likely violent initiation. Mel turned red and put her head down in shame like she just realized what she was asking.

"I wouldn't worry about that tall guy Zachary, he's harmless, but Martin will probably do well here." I say quickly and quietly so they wouldn't overhear us.

"Damn," Kale said in astonishment. "You are Erudite."

Four who had been listening to our entire conversation stood up and walked over to where we were sitting. His face was firm with a shade of annoyance and he stood over Mel making her extremely uncomfortable. She sat there and played with her fingers as he stared down at all of us.

"No more talking about your old factions. You're done with them." He ordered loudly making the other transfer initiates look up at the scene that was unfolding in the dining hall. "You chose Dauntless. You chose to be here so to us you're either Dauntless or Factionless."

We were all silent and uneasy at his sudden outburst. He seemed angry and by the reaction of the other initiates they thought he was mad too. Fours eyebrows scrunched together and his jaw was tight with frustration but there was an underlying tone that made me believe otherwise. It sounded like warning, to forget our faction now before becoming Factionless. All the others might not have known but he was giving us our second lesson, to ease the transition from our old faction into Dauntless. To not let old habits get in the way of our initiation.

I listened to what he said carefully and repeated it in my head over and over again until it was committed to memory. Remembering my Erudite observations as I studied the other initiates, habit. Letting my Dauntless pride get the better of me when I talked back at Eric, habit. Caring like Amity when I wrapped up Mel's leg on the train, habit.

If I wanted to survive the initiation and if I wanted to keep my Divergence a secret, my habits needed to be less vocal and more efficiently used like— a small whisper, to get past the leaders without them so much as hear me pass. It would be difficult with Eric around.

My eyes turned to him, he sat at another table but his eyes were on me. He had been watching the entire time. Amused and cautious as he stared intently, the slight twitch on his lips convinced me that he was enjoying every time I slipped up. Now I was sure he remembered me because now I wasn't Jeanine's perfect daughter, I was just another initiate and he was enjoying it far too much for my liking.


End file.
